I believe well written opinion letters to major news media have more impact than standing on street corners holding signs or singing to the converted few there. Remember to read and follow the editorial guidelines, and don't forget to include your organization or affiliation in your closing. The editors prefer the latter so they can keep your comments in context. I also include a website link as a courtesy for background checks.

Can you define torture? President Bush wasn't able to when he was asked this week. How reassuring is his claim that "We don't torture" if he can't say what it is that United States isn't doing?

According to the Justice Department, the U.S. is legally allowed to do things to prisoners that most people would consider torture. In a 2005 secret legal opinion that still defines government practice, the

The United States should be dismantling nuclear weapons, not building new ones. But instead, Congress will be voting soon on whether to approve the Bush Administration's latest request to pursue a new generation of nuclear weapons. Don't let the administration further devastate our nation by building a new, unneeded arsenal of civilization-shattering nuclear weapons. Please call your Senators and Representative to ask them to vote "no" on funding a new generation of nuclear weapons.

Are you ready for U.S. troops to stop combat operations in Iraq and start packing their bags to come home?

Are you ready for them to bring all U.S. military contractors home with them?

Are you ready for Congress to stop funding the war and occupation and tell the Pentagon that they can only spend money to bring the troops safely home?

Then Call your Representative today Tell them to support the Lee Amendment to restrict pentagon spending in Iraq to funding only the safe withdrawal of U.S. troops and contractors by the end of this year at the latest.

Alerts
on key issues facing Congress are sent to "EYE contacts"
around the country from the WILPF in Washington office or
the DISARM Eye on Congress committee on a regular basis. Click
on the links below to read our current alert or past alerts on
key disarmament issues.

A majority in Congress still hasn't gotten the message that it's time to end the war in Iraq. Yesterday, the House rejected legislation requiring the withdrawal of U.S. military troops from Iraq and then approved nearly $100 billion in additional funding for war.

The Senate still needs to act, but we at FCNL anticipate that the final supplemental spending bill will fund the same failed war policy without substantially altering the course of the war.

FCNL's year-long campaign to block the Bush administration plan to develop the first new nuclear weapons in nearly two decades had its first success . This week, a key subcommittee of the House Armed Service Committee zeroed out funding for the new nuclear bomb plant intended as a first step toward a $150 billion project to rebuild the nation's nuclear arsenal. Read more here

The American Association for the Advancement of Science issued a report this past month, stating that US nuclear policy needed to be reexamined before going forward with the Reliable Replacement Warhead (RRW) program.

The report, which was written by a high-level panel that included former directors from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, was highly critical of the proposed RRW. The administration has argued that the RRW program would allow the US to cut the size of the nuclear stockpile while ensuring security and reducing cost. The report concluded that the cost savings might never occur with the RRW and those improvements in reliability and security would only be integrated into later RRW models. The report also said that building new nuclear weapons could start an international arms race.

The United States should be dismantling nuclear weapons, not building new ones. But instead, Congress will be voting soon on whether to approve the Bush Administration's latest request to pursue a new generation of nuclear weapons. Don't let the administration further devastate our nation by building a new, unneeded arsenal of civilization-shattering nuclear weapons. Please call your Senators and Representative to ask them to vote "no" on funding a new generation of nuclear weapons.

Representative Lynn Woolsey has reintroduced her Resolution (H.Res. 68) calling for the global abolition of nuclear weapons, support for the NPT, ratification of the CTBT, and an end to missile defense and the weaponization of space. Dear Colleague letters were sent on March 12,19 and 27. So far the co-sponsors are Rep. Tammy Baldwin WI-2, Rep.Raul Grijalva AZ-7, Rep.Dennis Kucinich OH-10, Rep. James McGovern MA-3, Rep.Janice Scakowsky IL-9 and Rep Fortney Pete Stark CA-13.

The Democratic leadership claims the $125 billion supplemental is theway to end the war. Aside from setting a date for bringing home troops,the bill includes a number of items many in the peace movement wouldordinarily support - veterans' health benefits, Katrina survivors'assistance, children's health insurance...So what's the problem with the supplemental? Why aren't peace activistssupporting it?